How common is musculoskeletal pain in MS?

How common is musculoskeletal pain in MS?

A recent study investigated the severity and prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in MS patients in the Mazandaran Province of north Iran. Among 115 participants (76.5 percent female; mean age 30.4±5.8 years; mean disease duration 26.3±24.3 months), 87.8 percent were experiencing pain at the time of the study.

Lower limb pain, especially in the knees, is most common.

The most common locations for musculoskeletal pain reported were the knee (in 55.7 percent of study participants), wrist (43.5 percent), and neck (41.7 percent). In the 12 months prior to the study, significant numbers of the participants experienced chronic upper limb pain (60.9 percent), lower limb pain (64.3 percent), and backache (46.1 percent).

Upper back and neck pain are common in early stages of the disease.

MS patients reported mild to moderate pain, with more than half (53.9 percent) reporting that musculoskeletal pain had interfered with daily functioning, at least for a time. Upper back and neck pain were more common in patients who’d had MS for a shorter period of time, while knee pain was more common in patients with MS for a longer period of time.

Five times more women with MS have upper back pain.

Women experienced higher prevalence of shoulder, upper back, and ankle pain. The risk of upper back pain was 5.16 times higher in women than men, while ankle pain was 2.19 times higher. There was no significant gender difference in neck, wrist, back, hip, or knee pain.

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Majority of MS Patients Report Knee Pain

(photo credit: aleks)

(photo credit: aleks)

(photo credit: aleks)